Why Your Staff Can't Give Honest Feedback

Do you believe your employees will tell you the truth if you ask them?

The higher you are in an organisational hierarchy, the more control you have over your senior staff's next career move, promotion, and continued livelihood.

You are unlikely to receive candid feedback.

These are the five main reasons why your staff are unable to provide you with direct and honest feedback.

 

1. Fear of punishment

There is more at stake as employees advance to higher levels of leadership in the organisation. Bonuses are just as important as a consistent paycheck. With shrinking budgets and looming reorganisations, everyone could be on the chopping block. 

So why would they risk alienating their boss by making potentially divisive or unflattering feedback? It is better to smile and nod than to say what they think and then be the first to be let go when the cuts begin.

 

2. Your inner circle informs you of what you want to hear

Do the few people identified as being in your inner circle always say "yes" to you? Do they constantly compliment you in public? Do they talk about how well you handled a presentation without mentioning how quiet the room was when questions were asked? Do these people become part of your inner circle because they tell you what you want to hear? Your other team members will quickly learn the game by watching how these people behave.

They are telling you exactly what you want to hear equals to favour, as telling you something you do not want to hear is not good. As a result, the reinforced behaviour tells you what you want to hear. Nobody wants to say to the emperor that he is naked.

 

3. You become defensive

Do you seek to understand and truly listen to someone on your team who disagrees with you in a meeting? Or do you interrupt them, defend your position, and dismiss them as unsupportive of the changes you seek? Nobody wants to be known as someone not on board with the company's direction and thus commits career suicide. It is easier and safer for them to say nothing after the meeting than to be perceived as argumentative and unsupportive during the meeting.

 

4. You do not pay attention

Do you listen carefully and entirely to what others say, or do you just look for affirming comments? When people try to tell you something in a cryptic way rather than directly, it is easy to miss if you are not paying attention. Are you typically attentive, focused, and perceived to be in receive mode rather than transmit mode?

 

5. They think you do not care

Do you routinely solicit the opinions and feedback of your team? Do you implement their recommendations? Do you openly and authentically show your vulnerabilities and admit your flaws? Or do you give the impression that it is "my way or the highway" and frown when someone disagrees with you?

 

Getting honest feedback becomes more difficult as you advance in an organisation. If you truly desire it, you must make a greater effort to demonstrate that you do and value it.

 

Source: Linked/Janet Ioli